'Hundreds' planning terror attack in UK

Last updated at 11:11 28 February 2005

Britain is threatened by "several hundred" people within its borders who are planning terrorist attacks, Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned.

Defending the controversial new anti-terrorism powers in the Prevention of Terrorism Bill - which is due to complete its remaining Commons stages tonight - Mr Blair said the security services and police were adamant that they need increased powers to combat the threat.

Interviewed on the BBC, Mr Blair said: "We are being advised by the police and the security services, there is no distinction between the two of them, they are absolutely on the same line.

"What they say is you have got to give us powers in between mere surveillance of these people - there are several hundred of them in this country who we believe are engaged in plotting or trying to commit terrorist acts - you have got to give us power in between just surveying them and being able, being sure enough of the proof, to prosecute them beyond reasonable doubt.

"And these will be restrictions on their liberty that we will use only in the most limited circumstances.

"But we genuinely believe that they are necessary in order to protect the country."

Mr Blair continued: "All this stuff, you know, 'we are doing it because of the elections', all this - we are not doing it for that reason at all.

"We had powers that the House of Lords struck down as incompatible with human rights legislation. We have gone back to the drawing board, we have brought forward these other proposals.

"I just ask people to consider, if we did have a terrorist act and people then said to me, 'Well what were the security services and the police advising you?' and I was to say 'Well they were advising me that we needed to have these new powers and I didn't do it,' then what would people think?"

Mr Blair was pressed on whether the Government will make any concessions to buy off critics of

the Bill.

'We do need these new powers'

The Tories and the Liberal Democrats have warned that the legislation will be wrecked when it goes to the House of Lords unless the Government is prepared to offer major concessions.

Critics across the political spectrum have denounced the proposed powers for the Home Secretary to issue control orders - which ultimately could involve placing terrorist suspects under house arrest - as an attack on fundamental civil liberties.

Ministers are confident that the Bill will complete its remaining Commons stages tonight - despite expectations of a significant Labour rebellion.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Mark Oaten, who has been in talks with the Government, said at the weekend that he detected signs of movement on the key question of judicial involvement in the issuing of control orders under the legislation.

But Home Office minister Caroline Flint signalled that the Government remained wedded to the principle that they should actually be issued by the Home Secretary rather than a judge.

In his interview, Mr Blair said: "I can't make a concession on the basic principle, because that would be to ignore the advice I'm being given.

"But I do hope people understand that we are only doing this in the most extreme circumstances. But we do need these powers. There are people out there who are determined to destroy our way of life and there is no point in us being naive about it. National security is important to us."

Mr Blair stressed that house arrest is the ultimate sanction envisioned under the package of new powers.

"We don't get to house arrest under the proposals we have put together unless the security services actually advise in respect of any one particular person that it is vital that we do it.

"I grew up as a lawyer, someone who was heavily engaged in civil liberties, I introduced the Human Rights Act into this country. So of course I care about it."